Daily Madden: The Biggest Question About Michael Sam Is ‘Can He Play?’

Michael Sam #52 of the Missouri Tigers recovers a fumble for a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 12, 2013 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Michael Sam, the Missouri defensive end who publicly announced Sunday that he is gay, is projected as a mid-round NFL draft choice. John Madden said teams will begin evaluating Sam the same way. “Can he make your team, can he play for you, can he be a starter,” Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew.

“You go through your normal process. And the normal process of drafting a player is evaluating him and then projecting that player to your team… I would think that if a player can come in and help, my history has always been that you take him, and whatever (the other factors are), he melds in.”

Madden said there is enough diversity on NFL teams to diffuse any issues with individuals. “The culture has changed. You have players from all over the country, from different schools, from different backgrounds. I’ve always found that teams kind of break down into age groups — that young players — the guys that are first, second, third year players — kind of hang together. Then the guys who have been there for awhile — you know, four, five or six years — they kind of hang together. Then as a guy gets older and he’s twelve, fifteen years (in the league), he has no idea what’s going on in the locker room.”

Daily Madden

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